James thomas smith



I J. T. SMITH.

CLOTHESPIN.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 6, I916.

324,077. Patented Dec. 9,1919.

Witnesses ventor JAMES-THOMAS SMITH, OF CHERRYVALE,'KA1\TSAS.

CLOTHESPIN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 9, 1919.

Application filed June 6, 1916. Serial No. 102,024.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMns T. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cherryvale, in the county of Montgomery and State of Kansas, have invented a new and useful Clothespin, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to wire clothes pins, one of its objects being to provide a simple and efficient device of this character utilizing the minimum amount of material'and which operates to efficiently grip fabrics and hold them to a line, the device being so shaped that it can be easily released from the fabrics and will not become distorted laterally.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, can be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings Figure 1 is a front elevation of the device.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a section on line AB Fig. 1.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 1 designates an elliptical loop formed of spring wire and one end of the wire forming the loop is slightly offset laterally, as shown at 2 and is then bent at an acute angle, as at 3 to form one side of an elongated loop 4 forming one arm of the clip portion of the device. The other side of the loop terminates in a finger 5 having a terminal eye 6 which engages the wire 1 so that there is thus provided a space of substantially uniform width extending from one end to the other of the clip member 4 and from the angle 3 to the offset portion 2. The lower portion of the clip member 4 is bent to form an obtuse angle, as shown at 7. The other end of that portion of the wire 1 forming the ellipse is extended through the space between finger 5 and the offset portion of wire 1 and is then bent at an acute angle to form a clip member 8 made up of a single strand of spring wire and which clip member terminates in an eye 9 designed to bear against the angle portion 7 of the clip member 4. This eye 9 and the free end portion of the member f diverge outwardly from their point of contact.

In using the device the diverging portions of the clip members are pressed downwardly upon the fabric supported by a line and will obviously move apart until the fabric is received between the upper portions of the clip members 4 and 8. As the interfitting portions of the ellipse 1 are slidable freely relative to each other, it will be apparent that by pressing the opposed portions of the ellipse toward each other, the members 4 and 8 can be pushed apart thus to facilitate the application of the pin to the line. As soon as the ellipse is released, the clip members will grip the fabric therebetween and hold it securely. As the member 8 extends downwardly from between the finger 5 and the offset portion of the wire 1, as shown at 2, it will be apparent that the two clip members cannot become displaced laterally relative to each other. While the loop 1 is preferably elliptical, it is to be understood that it can be made of any other shape desired so as to form an efficient handle portion.

That is claimed is A clothes pin formed of a single length of spring wire bent to form a loop having lapping end portions, an elongated loop extending from one of said end portions and pro vided with a terminal finger parallel with said end portion of the first named loop and terminating in. an eye engaging the first named loop, a clip member extending from the other end of the first named 100p and consisting of a single strand of wire terminating in an eye, said elongated loop and the clip member diverging up to the first named loop to form a space adapted to freely hold a line and a fabric thereon, that end of the first named loop from which the clip member extends being slidable between the finger and the other end of said loop, the free end of the elongated loop and the eye upon the clip member being disposed Within out- In testimony that I elaim the foregoing Wardly diverging planes and forming angle as my own, I have hereto afiiXed my signaportions upon the'elongated loop and the ture 1n the presence of twowitnesses.

clip member respectively, the angle portion JAMES THOMAS SMITH. of the clip member being normally seated Witnesses: v between the sides of the angle portions of J. P. CLEMENS,

the elongated loop. A. M. HOUGH. 

